ReviewCancers2026
Proton Versus Photon Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Updated Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeProton beam therapy (PBT) offers superior dosimetric sparing of organs at risk compared to photon radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, comparative clinical evidence regarding survival benefits remains conflicting. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes and toxicity profiles of PBT versus photon radiotherapy, with a specific focus on time-dependent survival patterns.
methodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases for comparative studies published up to 10 October 2025. Primary outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local progression-free survival (LPFS). Individual patient data (IPD) were reconstructed from Kaplan-Meier curves when hazard ratios (HRs) were not reported. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for survival at fixed time points (1, 3, and 5 years) and for toxicity endpoints.
resultsSeven studies comprising 244,604 patients were included, encompassing retrospective cohorts, multi-institutional datasets, and one randomized trial. In the overall pooled analysis, PBT showed no statistically significant superiority over photon radiotherapy for OS (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.69-1.19,
conclusionsWhile long-term oncologic control appears comparable between proton and photon radiotherapy, exploratory analyses suggest that PBT is associated with improved odds of 1-year overall survival. This potential early benefit, observed in retrospective cohorts, likely reflects the mitigation of acute treatment-related mortality. These findings are hypothesis-generating and support the use of PBT for patients at high risk of toxicity and advocate for a model-based approach to patient selection.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.